Happy Holidays from Us

2019 in Review

Every year I tell myself that THIS year I’m going to send out Christmas cards and yet you’ll probably notice nobody has received one in a few years. With everything going on these days I thought I’d switch it up and share our card with everyone! Be sure to sign up for blog updates too!

The year began with me continuing the crazy commute across the metro area to teach middle school science. I would drive to the bus stop, bus downtown, switch to the light rail, and ride that to the end of the line. Then a coworker picked me up from the station and would drop me off at the end of the night. Beyond teaching I also continued with tutoring on the side and teaching ACT and SAT prep classes. You can definitely say I kept busy.

I also spent the spring learning to snowboard! Jon went with me a few times too. At the end of March we spent Spring Break in Vail, Colorado. Most of our time was spent on the bunny hill trying to avoid running over kids. We did venture down to the village once but it killed my legs so the gondola was used the rest of the time. Jon went skiing out on his own a few times and really enjoyed what the whole mountain has to offer. We also ate dinner at the top of the mountain with some beautiful views and enjoyed walking around the village in the sunny, warm weather. Colorado weather can be interesting. It was a nice get away together and while there we decided to ensure life would continue to be exciting.

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Upon returning we adopted Sunshine adding a black and white bundle of energy to our busy routine. We prepared the house for a puppy, set up a pen in the dining room with her kennel so that we could work on potty training during the day and within the first few hours she foiled all the plans. Turns out we adopted one smart puppy who definitely keeps us busy. Overall, she has turned into one amazing dog. Her only downfall is playing tug of war with the grass, pulling it up by the roots, and then expanding the hole in the dirt.

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Summer came and so did the end of my time teaching middle school. Any ending can be sad but new beginnings are also very exciting! Then the summer adventures began.

We played tourist with cousins who came to visit. We saw Rocky Mountain National Park, explored Estes Park, went to the Children’s Museum, and many more places. Then it was off to Fargo, North Dakota, to another cousin’s wedding!

The Fargo trip included many hours in the car with Sunshine experiencing her first family vacation. Our drive started in the evening through a thunderstorm bringing us to our campsite at Lake McConaughy in Nebraska. Thankfully the rain let up just as we crawled in the tent for the night. Morning brought clear skies and a long drive.

We stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, and the Falls in Sioux Falls. The day ended with arriving at the AirBnB in Fargo in the rain. Rain turned into the theme of the trip as we spent time with my parents, sister, and nephews. Adventures included a walk to Sandy’s Donuts with the older nephews and Sunshine, a trip to see the house my cousin made from my great grandfather’s barn, wandering a Norse festival at Viking Ship Park, and introducing Jon to the extended family from my dad’s side. Quite a few were in attendance and it was great to catch up with everyone while celebrating my cousin and her new husband.

From Fargo we headed back west towards Badlands National Park, a picnic lunch at the state capitol, and a quick stop at the Badlands Trading Post where we attempted to feed the prairie dogs. I say attempted because there aren’t many still hungry at the end of the day. Then we drove through the park with drizzle off an on. Finally, we ended the day at our campsite in Custer State Park in the Black Hills just as the rain ended.

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Morning came with more clear skies perfect for a drive through the park looking for bison. We found the donkeys (who knew they had wild donkeys?) but were almost out of the park before we found the herd of bison. Sunshine was pretty impressed as she watched out the window. Then we continued on to home.

July brought about a trip to visit my oldest sister. My parents spent most of the summer with her to help care for my three nephews while she recovered from surgery. Yet another cousin (it really is a large family) was getting married and they didn’t want to leave without someone to help her out during the day. So I spent a week with my nephews! I took the boys to scouts, stopped to snap some photos at Grand Coulee Dam, went to the swim beach, hung out with the sis, helped a little on building their chicken coup, and visited Silverwood Theme Park. It was a great trip to spend time with some family that I don’t see often and make some memories with my nephews.

For the first time in my life I had to make sure I knew where the puke bag on the flight home was. Of all the flights I’ve taken in my life I had never been nauseous before. There wasn’t even any turbulence! Turns out the nausea wouldn’t stop for a couple months… Took a test when I got home and found out we are expecting a baby!!!

Fall began a new teaching job and a much shorter commute but also brought with it the fun of pregnancy. I’m not sure how others make it look so easy… I spent a four hour training with my head on the table trying not to feel like I was going to die. Since then I’ve learned, and my students, that I have a strict eating schedule and I’ll never be on time to 8th hour because the bathroom is too far away. Otherwise, I am loving teaching high school students again.

Thanksgiving and our second anniversary came and went. Jon was able to spend most of the week home with me because of the weather. It was nice to spend some down time at home with the pup even if we were kept inside for most of it. Sunshine keeps us on our toes but she is an A+ student when it is meal time! Her mom is a pointer and her dad is suspected to be a great pyrenees. She takes after her mom’s side being eager to please but does have a very independent streak like her dad’s side is supposed to have at times. Overall she is still an amazing puppy and we are glad she is part of our family.

Next year we are expecting more fun times as Sunshine becomes an older sister! As we go through the year I’ve decided to start this blog to share our adventures, our projects, and just life in general. If you’d like to receive notifications and keep up to date with the latest, sign up for emails! (There should be a sign up form on the right.)